Al Ain concluded their FIFA Club World Cup journey with an impressive 2-1 comeback win against Wydad at Audi Field in Washington, marking only the third instance of a clash between a Moroccan team and one from the Middle East.
Both sides were aware of their situations before kick-off—regardless of the outcome, a victory wouldn’t allow either team to advance from Group G, as they had already suffered defeats in their first two matches.
Wydad performed significantly better in their previous fixtures against heavyweight opponents Juventus and Manchester City, and they quickly took control of this encounter. Within five minutes, Cassius Mailula struck from just inside the box, sending a powerful shot into the top corner to open the scoring.
They nearly doubled their lead shortly after, but Oussama Zemraoui failed to make contact with Omar Al Souma’s header, and the ball drifted wide of the target.
Al Ain had to wait until the 20-minute mark for their first chance, when Yahya Ben Khaleq headed narrowly past the post, while at the other end, the bar came to Wydad’s rescue, denying Ayoub Boucheta.
The match began to open up at this point, and just moments later, Soufiane Rahimi forced a vital save from Al Ain’s goalkeeper Mehdi Benabid.
Al Ain did find the net through a brilliant finish by Kodjo Laba, but the effort was disallowed for offside.
However, Vladimir Ivic’s side managed to equalise just before halftime from the penalty spot.
Following a foul on Adis Jasic by Boucheta after Kaku’s incisive through ball, Laba stepped up to convert the spot-kick emphatically, paving the way for an exciting second half.
The frantic intensity continued once the teams resumed play, and leveraging their renewed confidence, Al Ain completed the comeback.
Kaku emerged as the hero, curling a shot into the top corner that survived a VAR review for a potential foul in the lead-up before being confirmed as a legitimate goal.
Although both teams continued to press forward, clear-cut chances dwindled compared to the first half. Al Ain should have extended their lead when Laba was presented with a seemingly simple tap-in, but remarkably, he missed the target, sending the ball past the post instead.
In the end, Al Ain held on to secure victory, finishing the tournament on a positive note, a result which seemed improbable after their initial two matches.
Wydad, on the other hand, would feel frustrated not to have gained more from this encounter given their strong start, ultimately finishing at the bottom of the group.
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Compiled by SportArena.com.au.
Fanpage: SportArena.com.au.
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